Oxnard, Calif. – April 1, 2024 – Mission Produce, Inc. BB #:118126 a world leader in sourcing, producing, and distributing fresh Hass avocados, today announced the release of its fiscal 2023 sustainability report, “Finest for the Future,” which is the company’s fourth annual sustainability report to communicate on Mission’s operating procedures, projects, achievements and use of resources. Mission Produce’s sustainability strategy centers around three pillars: people, product and planet.
“Every year, we strive to build on the progress we’ve made to promote a more sustainable future for generations to come,” said Steve Barnard, Chief Executive Officer, Mission Produce. “We’ve implemented initiatives throughout our global supply chain to help us be more environmentally and socially impactful. I’m proud of the positive contributions we’ve made on our surrounding communities and the intentionality we bring to using our resources efficiently and mindfully.”
Achievements from fiscal 2023 include:
- Newly added to Mission’s sustainability reporting was the Company’s ripening and forward distribution center in the United Kingdom. In that facility alone, Mission was able to reuse 7,700 liters (over 2,000 gallons) of water through the facility’s rainwater harvesting system. Additionally, Mission Produce UK received an AA score from the BRCGS Global Food Safety Standard, the highest rating achievable on an unannounced audit to assess the business’s commitment to food safety.
- In both Mission Produce’s UK and California packing and distribution centers, the Company utilizes solar power to reduce reliance on grid electricity. In 2023, Mission Produce generated 1.9 million kWh for the use of clean energy in its operations, the equivalent of powering 177 homes for one year.[1]
- In 2023, Mission Produce planted more than 180,000 trees across its farms in Peru, Guatemala and Colombia. In Mexico, Mission concluded a reforestation campaign to plant 3,000 native plants in Michoacán. Lastly, Mission Produce Guatemala partnered with the San Nicholas Village School to plant 350 native trees in areas historically used as refuge heaps.
- Mission Produce set a goal in 2020 to implement a reduced plastic bag in 50% of the bags the Company packs and ships globally. In 2023, Mission modified its methodology for calculating progress on this goal as the Company believes the new method of calculation is more accurate based on data available to Mission Produce and captures the amount of reduced plastic utilized in the various bagging configurations that the Company produces for customers. Therefore, Mission now calculates based on the quantity of plastic film purchased by the Company for use in production. According to the new methodology, a significant 53% of the film purchased for use in production in 2023 was reduced plastic.
To learn more about Mission Produce’s sustainability efforts and read the full report, visit www.missionproduce.com/sustainability.
- Calculated using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Equivalencies Calculator
